This invention relates to the field of automotive maintenance tools, and more particularly, to front wheel drive hub pullers.
Wheel hubs on many front wheel drive vehicles are machine press-fitted into the wheel bearing with thousands of pounds of pressure. On occasion, the hub must be removed to perform maintenance of the wheel or brake assembles. Removal of the entire spindle housing, which contains the wheel bearing and the hub, for hub removal in a commercial press, necessitates additional work and expense, including a front-end alignment. Slide hammers have been used to remove hubs while the spindle housing is still in place, but they lack sufficient force to remove some hubs. Other hub pullers are heavy and awkward to use, requiring multiple workers to setup and/or operate. Additionally, in some cases they damage otherwise reusable wheel components.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of prior art tools and provides an easier-to-use hub puller that can be operated by a single individual.
The preferred embodiment utilizes a generally U-shaped frame that results in a wrap-around design with one member of the frame in front of the spindle housing and the other member of the frame behind the spindle housing. The wrap-around design takes advantage of access allowed by the removal of the brake caliper, which is required whenever a hub is pulled. By using this access, the present invention minimizes the size and weight of the device. This weight reduction markedly reduces the effort required for operational set-up, allows a single person to perform the maintenance and thus reduces cost.
In addition to the U-shaped frame, the present invention generally includes a rotatable forcing screw, a pushing piece and a traveling nut. With the invention mounted on an in-place spindle housing, the operator rotates the forcing screw while holding the traveling nut so as to prevent rotation of the traveling nut. The spindle housing front surface braces the U-shaped frame, which in turn, provides an immobile backstop for the forcing screw. Rotation of the forcing screw translates into linear motion of the traveling nut and pusher piece. The rigid frame prevents linear motion of the forcing screw, placing the portion of the forcing screw between the traveling nut and the frame under compressive tension. Using this tension, the traveling nut forces the pusher piece against a cylindrical section of the hub, pushing it out of the wheel bearing.
The present invention ensures interoperability with the wide variety of wheel spindle housings and brake rotor designs in commercial use. Additionally, an adaptor further expands applicability to a large range of different sized commercial spindles.